Why extend any courtesy to Mr. Salsman? The willingness of this proud board
to even allow him access here continues to amaze.
Steve
In a message dated 11/29/2011 3:45:16 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
hotgreenchile at gmail.com writes:
Dear James:
I understand your comments, and did not mean to suggest that your
observations are invalid.
My deepest concern is that the RadSafe group is being monitored by
non-professionals that have a hard time making sense of various measurements,
claims and biases - with unfounded assertions as well as with quantities and
units. Thus, my conversion from mBq Kg-1 to a measurement used in regulatory
context, μg/L (microgram / Liter). Since my background includes quite a
bit of geochemistry, and for my own understanding, I tend to convert values
into units that I can use. If I was terse, please accept my apology.
My specific concern with the Busby claim of "enriched uranium" in Fallujah
and elsewhere (Lebanon) in soils is simply that based on the available
data, I do not believe it, and the data do not support that assertion, not to
mention that the actual values measured are quite low by environmental
standards. Unfortunately, there are those who are willing to believe
regardless of the source or in-validity of the claim.
Sampling soil, ground & surface water and rock is a non-trivial exercise
requiring extensive training, practice and understanding of the methodology.
When little or no information is provided about sampling, no differential
analysis of leached samples, nor a description and analysis of the
uranium-bearing mineralogy of the soil, I am left to conclude that Busby’s work
was no “study” at all in the scientific sense.
James, by the way, I have understood the concept of differential
leachability of U-234 vs. U-238 in geomedia for decades (since 1975, at least)
because of the abundant literature on uranium ore deposits and ore-forming
processes. I have been, of course, a uranium geologist since 1975 although I’ve
done quite a few other jobs since then (environmental hydrogeology,
geochemistry, hydrology, dog & horse trainer).
Dan ii
--
Dan W McCarn, Geologist
108 Sherwood Blvd
Los Alamos, NM 87544-3425
+1-505-672-2014 (Home – New Mexico)
+1-505-670-8123 (Mobile - New Mexico)
HotGreenChile at gmail.com (Private email) HotGreenChile at gmail dot com
-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
[mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of James Salsman
Sent: Sunday, November 27, 2011 13:43
To: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] US enriched uranium weapons caused Fallujah
cancer,UK-Iraq study finds
Dan McCarn wrote:
> After reviewing the abstract of the paper that James mentioned, the
> concentration of uranium represented by 27 mBq-Kg-1 (0.027 Bq / Kg) is
about
> 1 µg/L (1 microgram / L). Most waters have more than that.
I wasn't trying to imply that the West European cheeses were
contaminated, only that the uranium that they did contain had an
enriched isotope ratio, which was attributed to natural processes by
the authors. This assertion that chemical isotope separation occurs
naturally is consistent with the very different translocation rates of
uranium isotopes in the human body reported in BNWL-2500, Part 1, pp.
379-380 (1978.)
If chemical isotope enrichment is a born secret doctrine taboo topic,
which seems very likely to me, then fine, but it's not ethical to try
to ridicule or discredit researchers who find enriched ratios in
groundwater. Especially when only anti-DU researchers are the ones
who are subject to such ridicule. Especially when authorities keep
telling bald faced lies about safety, e.g.,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/nov/14/minister-sorry-dangers-deplet
ed-uranium
Back to the topic, I can't find any reports of anyone looking at Iraqi
dairy products, which seems absurd given the amount of soil and
groundwater contamination studies which are published. Almost all of
the food chain studies of uranium contamination around geological
deposits and mine tailings in developed countries focus on dairy
because it's the most concentrated and bioavailable source in the
human food chain (other than the livers of Caribou that have eaten
lichens around deposits somewhere in Canada.) Domestic milk in Iraq is
entirely from goats and sheep watered from wells, so why isn't anyone
looking at Iraqi dairy?
Sincerely,
James Salsman
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